Switzerland are gearing up for their fifth consecutive appearance at the FIFA World Cup this month as Murat Yakin's side hope to make a deep run at the US, Canada and Mexico showpiece.
Drawn alongside inexperienced nations such as Qatar, Canada and Bosnia, La Nati are heavy favorites on paper to progress from Group B as winners.
They have called-up 26 players for the mega tournament, led by skipper Granit Xhaka with stars such as Ricardo Rodriguez, Breel Embolo and Remo Freuler also summoned.
But the secret sauce in the squad is Gregor Kobel, the Borussia Dortmund custodian who is coming off the back of a spectacular individual campaign.
Kobel's 2025-26 season, a review
If there were any lingering doubts over Kobel's abilities, they were all surely laid to rest last season as the Swiss goalkeeper turned in a series of top-notch displays in between the sticks for the BVB.
He registered the highest number of clean sheets in the Bundesliga last season with 15, while also making a statement with his reflex saves and penalty box authority.
Kobel's presence between the sticks offered a sense of assurity for Dortmund and his distribution skills were second to none either.
Kobel for Switzerland
It was unsurprising to see Kobel get called-up to Switzerland's World Cup squad by Yakin, for whom he's the preferred choice goalkeeper.
He was on the bench for their friendly match against Jordan, but that was perhaps because the manager was fine-tuning his squad to give others a chance in the XI too.
Else, the BVB custodian is set to take his place in goal for potentially all of Switzerland's World Cup fixtures and will be instrumental in keeping out the opposition forwards.
He played in all six of their qualifying fixtures, keeping four clean sheets and conceding only two goals as Kobel proved his value to the Swiss side.
More such heroics will be expected from him at the World Cup.
Gregor Kobel stats for Switzerland
Although he was called-up to Switzerland's senior team in 2020, Kobel only made his international debut on 1 September 2021 in a friendly game against Greece.
The Dortmund custodian remained second fiddle to Yann Sommer until his retirement in 2024, following which Kobel has made the goalkeeping position his own.
He has 20 caps in total for La Nati, conceding 29 goals and keeping five clean sheets. The upcoming World Cup will be his second with the national team.
Kobel was in the squad for the 2022 edition in Qatar, but only played their last group fixture against Serbia.
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